Well my friends its been a while since we last communicated. 2011 is turning out to be eventful as we are living in "interesting times". The Middle East is at present going through some turbulance with the uprising in Tunisia, and demonstrations in Egypt and Yemen. However in the Kingdom it is business as usual. In addition mother nature has not only created changes in weather patterns at home but also here in the desert kingdom. Rain is generally a rare event here, with nearly all the rain falling sporadically over several months over the winter ..... but not this year.
From our apartment window........are we now in the tropics?
A view we have not encountered since getting here. Although we have enjoyed the "sprinkle" as a refreshing change, this desert city, that gets rain sporadically, goes into emergency mode the way we do at home with a major snow storm ... as there are no drains built into the roads in the city.
Another view from our balcony...... this is minor compared to what is to come. Noah would be best to get ready ..... more on that later. Here schools and many activities are cancelled and people go home early with any significant rainfall.
Part of the aftermath from high winds and a single downpour. This tree came down across the road behind our building, blocking the road ....... as did many others throughout the city. The entry point to the down ramp to the underground garage (seen on the right) became the start of a river flooding the underground car parking area.
However despite news of more rain coming our way we were off to Riyadh ....Joy to visit with old friends at the King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh and the scribe to a Hospital Executive Retreat outside Riyadh.
After our flight and overnight in Riyadh I was bused 50 miles out into the desert to an estate, modelled after an older country manor of sorts. This was a Retreat involving the senior administration, directors, and chairmen of the two King Faisal Specialist Hospital branches (the main hospital in Riyadh and our smaller sister hospital in Jeddah)... we were there for a two day meeting coming back last evening.
The main meeting area. Although there was a roof cover over this courtyard, being open along the edges of the roof, we were accompanied by the songs and flying birds under the ceiling.
Our meal area where we were treated to extravagant buffets, breakfast, lunch & dinner .... no time for dieting, Arab hospitality in the desert.
The hallway on the second level ... my bedroom was off one of the corridors. A modern structure but built in a historic style. No scorpions here.
Yes this is still part of the retreat ...... mid afternoon the first day we broke for a colleagiality break with various activities, such a a run through the desert on this ATV. As can be seen it is cooler in the desert near Riyadh during winter months. We remain warmer on the coast in Jeddah.
Then there was my turn to go up in this "ultra light" for a spin over the desert. Now my friends remember that heights are not my forte and I do what I can to get someone else to go up a mast! This was clearly facing something I never thought I would do on a voluntary basis ... but what a blast soaring over the desert and crossing above an ostrich farm. Looking back at this parachute wing on the ground does make one appreciative of the physics of "lift", as it is really just a modified sail.
Yes that flimsy material, like a spinnaker, does become a wing to power us up to the sky.
Taking off for flight over the desert! Maybe it was also good for the soul that the hospital ambulance was also standing by? Richie would be happy.
After our difficult day at the Retreat we had Arabic coffee by the fire under the stars .... seen well in the desert far from city lights.
Later in the evening we were serenaded to Arabic music and song, along with more Arabic coffee & tea, and some with shisha.
Unfortunately after my two days of toiling in the desert, and Joy visiting friends in Riyadh, including getting hereslf invited to a party at the US Embassy, we headed back to Jeddah.
Remember the rain we talked about? The rain in Jeddah we escaped while we were in the desert or in Riyadh? Well we had to return and watched on CNN today images of what we had missed. In 3 hours while we were away there was double the average rainfall that normally takes place over the usual 3 months of winter, the so called "rainy season"(usually measured in millimetres). That was to be the largest rainfall measured in 17 years! Here is the front page of the English paper here showing what we had missed - fortunately most had gone when we arrived. However our elevators in the building were still not functioning requiring us to carry our luggage up four flights to our apartment - a cardiovascular workout at least.
Yes the paper today. As more rain may be headed this way we are fortunate to be able to leave later today for our first vacation out of the Kingdom. We will be flying to Muscat in Oman sitting on the coast of the Indian Ocean.
More on that in our next Blog in just over a week - stay tuned.
