Today I am not in Bahrain. I am in Saudi Arabia (SA) securing my Iqama. An Iqama is residence permit that allows me to go to Saudi with D. His office for this area is in Al Khubar, SA, just across the causeway from Bahrain.
There are several reasons I might need or want to go to SA. If D has a problem, I could go and help him. Or, the best reason is we want to go diving in the Red Sea off the western coast of SA. (yippee) Another benefit of having my Iqama is that I can attend meetings of the American Woman’s Association in Al Khubar and meet the ladies living here.
To complete my Iqama process, I will stay here in Al Khubar for a week (in a hotel) while the Saudi government processes my application. The Iqama process was very complicated and detailed.
Prior to this trip to Khubar, I had already spent 2 months working on the process. There were two physicals, one in the US and one here in Al Khubar. While I was back in the States for the first physical, my passport and the results of that physical (along with extensive blood work), a multipage form and several other documents were submitted to the Saudi consulate. After that first application was approved, they issued a permit for me to come to Al Khubar and apply for the Iqama.
Working on my Iqama is exciting, BUT THE BIG NEWS is that it rained in Bahrain. We have an engineer from Virginia staying in our flat in Bahrain while he is finding a villa to move into. He sent me a picture of our balcony with ¼” of rain! Woo Hoo!
This is the first rain I have seen since May.
The chairs on our balcony have big (water proof) cushions. When DT sent me this picture of water draining out of one of the cushions, I almost fell out of my chair laughing He has finally found a practical use for the bidets in all our bathrooms. I think he has cushions draining in all four bidets.
Putting the bidet to good use.
Here I am with DW getting ready to go into Saudi. We are wearing our abayas. Women have to be covered up at all times in public in SA.
Getting ready to enter SA.
I was very excited to have the opportunity to go to Saudi Arabia. I have known only a few people who have visited Saudi. It is a very unique destination. However, it was a bit of a let down when the first site we had of Saudi Arabia was a MacDonald’s restaurant.
My first view of Saudi Arabia.
Our husbands driving on the causeway.
Al Khubar is a much bigger city that I thought and so far we have not seen any areas that look old or run down. Our hotel is wonderful and the food is GREAT.
View from the back seat of downtown. Women don't drive in SA so our husbands are in the front seat driving us into SA.
Typical row of older buildings.
Employee parking lot is all sand.
View from D's office.
Orchids in my hotel.
Last night we were invited to have dinner in the home of one of D’s architects from the office. It was lovely and exceptionally interesting. We met his wonderful wife and two daughters. All of the people here are welcoming and friendly. This family was exceptional and it was a memorable evening.
On the way home, IT WAS RAINING with lightning and thunder. Typically it only rains for about one week a year here so the water drainage is not as good as we might have in the US. The water was quite deep on most of the roads.
RAIN in SA.
The first day we were here, DW and I discovered a new grocery store down the street from our hotel. It was probably the nicest grocery store I have ever been in. It is called a Hyper Mart because they also sell all kinds of things including clothing.
The amazing thing about this store was that the selection was so in depth for some items. There was an entire wall of honey, one aisle of bar soap and a huge display of toothpicks in every imaginable design or color.
Honey.
Tooth picks of every variety.
Whole cakes
Pieces of cake.
Cookies.
Tea pots.
More tea pots.
Bar soap.
Feta cheese.
More feta cheese. I am not sure what I am going to do when I go back the US. The feta cheese over here is better than anything I have ever tasted in the States. Saudi feta is also my favorite when I am shopping in Bahrain. Now I can see why. Obviously they love feta cheese.
Baking flat bread.
Olives
You can find all kinds of services in SA. This building offers skin care, laser treatments, plastic surgery and obesity care. With all the sweets and cakes they sell, they have an obesity problem in Bahrain and SA. You can find very few sugar free foods or drinks.
I think they are trying to make it perfectly clear this is a family entrance to this restaurant. Women can only enter through the family entrance for most restaurants and banks.
The family entrance to this restaurant is off to the right. Many restaurants the family (women) entrance is hidden or behind the building. And, sometimes it is hard to find.
So far, it is a very enjoyable week and SA is nothing at all what I expected. However, neither was Bahrain. So I guess all my preconceived ideas of the Middle East need to go out the window.
Our driver parked on the sidewalk when we went to the clinic for second physical exam. Because DW and I are women, we had to have a driver everywhere we went. It was nice because we would not have been able to find our way around.
View from one side of the balcony for our hotel room with rush hour traffic heading home.
Construction is not fast in this area. D says this is the main road through Al Khubar. It has been under construction for over two years.
Today I am in search of a Starbucks Coffee Shop. We have seen them as we have been driving around so I know we can find one close to the hotel. I want to buy a mug from SA. I hope they have SA mugs. I buy one in every country I visit. It makes for a great collection of memories. There will definitely be some good memories of Saudi Arabia.
I think I will go on Google Maps and plan a trip to Starbucks. Another adventure! Woo Hoo!
Cheers,
Brenda
Here is a video that was taken on the dash board of a man who is just driving around Al Khobar very early in the morning before there are people or cars on the roads. He does not take you down any of the narrow roads in the older part of the city. He goes from the suburbs to the city and along the major arteries.
In the US we have a drug store on every corner but in the Middle East there is a Mosque on every corner. There are lots of traffic circles and speed bumps along the way. This is all very normal for SA and Bahrain so you can get a sense of what it is like to go on the roads -- BUT WITHOUT THE CRAZY TRAFFIC. When there is traffic, it is very dangerous.
I am finally back in Bahrain, “the sand box” as D puts it.
Unfortunately for me, this time I don’t seem to be flawlessly flowing back into Bahrain time. I have spent 3 nights awake when I should have been asleep.
Before you send me an email with all the tricks on how to avoid jet lag, I have already tried them all. REALLY!
In Florida, I was decorating and getting a condo ready so D and I can stay there. Our lovely daughter BSB is expecting a baby the end of January or beginning of February. I am planning on being there from Christmas until the end of February so we decided to purchase a condo on the East Coast of Florida.
Hopefully this is the last bathroom I will paint myself. Not fun, but the color turned out awesome! I am taking my own picture in the mirror. This picture will be used to remind myself why I need to make sure I have the hired painter putting on the right color.
The decorating was work, but visiting with BSB was GREAT FUN. We shopped, talked and took pictures of “the bump.”
The little bump!
My camel toy and Randy's first toy, the turtle. They were having a lot of fun. LOL
Brittany researched stroller's for a couple of months before selecting this one.
Our grandchild's first camouflage. He will be all ready to go hunting with Dad.
For me one special part of the trip was being there on Halloween. I have not been around large groups of kids on Halloween since we built a house in the woods and BSB went off to college. It was great fun this year.
This looks crazy, however it was even more crazy than it appears.
On the airplane trip back to the ME, I had a very surprising sunset shot out the window of the airplane. As we were going over Kuwait, the sun was setting with a blaze of color on the horizon. It is not an excellent quality photo, but something I will always remember.
My flight path returning home went right over Kuwait.
The most unusual sunset shot I have made.
So, I am back in the saddle. Hot breakfast every morning for D and healthy meals every night. Last night I cooked my first lamb. It was not difficult but I think I will try a different recipe next time. This one was with pomegranate and a bit sweet for our taste.
My first try at cooking lamb.
You never know, I might become a cook yet. . . Ah, no way. Just not in my DNA.
Cheers,
Brenda
Added treat for you, here is the first sunset at our new condo that is on the East Coast of the US. Not bad.
Our last tour in Turkey was of the Sultanahmet Camii Mosqueor better known as the Blue Mosque. It is called the Blue Mosque because of the blue tiles that cover the upper floors. Unfortunately these floors are not open to the public and we could only glimpse them from the main floor. The Blue Mosque was amazing. The detail in the domes and the ornate doors were impressive.
We were fortunate to secure a private guide to take us around the long lines into the mosque. This mosque is a functioning house of worship so it was closed for prayers several times a day. I researched prayer times in advance so that we would know the times it would be closed. There were many mosque in Istanbul. Five times a day you can hear the trilling call to prayer, also known as ezan. During this time the voice of the bellowing muezzin, the man who calls the Muslims to prayer from a minaret, can be heard over the loudspeakers at different mosques in the city.
Though this symphony of sorts was impressive from anywhere in town, the most extraordinary one was the battle of the call to prayer we heard between Aya Sofya and the Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii Mosque) while walking down the street back to our hotel. If you are reading this in an email you will need to visit my blog to view the video. http://brendahyde.blogspot.com
We experienced many wonderful foods during our stay in Istanbul. Our dining experiences were indeed a significant part of the holiday fun. Just picking out a restaurant was an adventure. Every corner held another long street filled with visually exciting opportunities for a flavourful experience.
Another great street filled with restaurants.
Our favorite fish dish during a great lunch.
Great presentation of a vodka tonic.
Delicious appetizers.
For our last dinner in Turkey we chose a restaurant located in the historical area of Sirkeci on a long street lined with restaurants and coffee houses. We ate in the top floor dining room that looked out over the Aya Sofya Museum Hippodrome and Blue Mosque (Sultanahmet Camii Mosque). The moon was full giving us a great photo opportunity.
For our meal we enjoyed the drama of a popular dish (although not originating from Istanbul) called Tesi Kehap. Ours was lamb, which had been roasted in a clay pot. The clay pot is brought from the oven to the table in a flaming dish, and with a flourish, the waiter breaks open the clay pot for all the dinners to enjoy. Inside is a wonderful combination of: lamb, carrots, celery root, onions, garlic, and potatoes. If you want to enjoy the excitement, watch this video of the presentation of our dinner. If you are reading this in an email you will need to visit my blog to view the video. http://brendahyde.blogspot.com
I guess this is Istanbul's version of Steak Diane.
The restaurant was filled with lanterns. I loved the visual explosion of color and shape.
This reflection of the lanterns in the window was even more beautiful and interesting.
My favorite photo of the trip is not going to be one that you would expect. It is a photo of Baghdad. Yes, Baghdad, Iraq. It is my favorite photo from the trip because of how unique it is. Our flight home took 4 and half hours. We were about half way home when SW suggested we look out the window of the plane. The pilot had just announced we were flying over Mosul, Iraq. I turned on the map of the flight path to see where we were flying and sure enough, we were flying through Syria and Iraq.
Here is Baghdad as seen from the window of our plane. The photo is not as good as the view really appeared. There were many more lights in Baghdad than I would have thought.
I had no idea we would fly through these areas! I guess I just never thought about how we would travel to and from Turkey. I assumed we would not fly over areas of the world that were at war. Realizing where we were located at that moment made me a bit nervous. We snapped shots of Mosul and Baghdad out the plane windows. I don’t think that will be something I will ever do again in my lifetime. Turkey was wonderful and truly a once in a lifetime experience. The food was great, the people friendly (even though they definitely did not speak English) and the history amazing. It was another successful adventure. Cheers, Brenda P.S. After my last blog I received a request for all my videos to be posted on YouTube so they could be viewed. I hope all my family and friends can enjoy my videos so I have uploaded all the video I shot in Turkey. You can easily access them on my YouTube channel. http://www.youtube.com/channel/UClw2ujYhQXf8hfH4GL36fGQ
