No international trips this past month - just toiling at work and the environs of Jeddah.
It is now December 1st, hard to believe that we have now resided in the Magic Kingdom for fourteen months. The months get measured here, as although time flies by fairly fast, it is still not an easy adjustment. Sacrifices have been made. That being said we do adapt, remember why we are here, and look at the positive aspects of our "adventure" life journey. At this time of year one thinks more of family and friends back home, having gone past Thanksgiving and with the Christmas season around the corner. It is probably the hardest time of the year that one is reminded of being away from "home".
Yes we have developed variations on our usual life routines. We accept the fact that the expat community, and life in this environment, is a transient one.This is likely similar to having "gone cruising", although we are still constrained by our work routines. However we make the most of our opportunities, and our "usual" life, although similar in some respects to our "home routine", leads to a different pattern in other aspects. Our western expat community becomes a key element to our quality of life, in addition to the local recreational resources.
As we have both Canadian and American friends our Thanksgiving was hosted in November between the two dates. Our friends here become our "family" away from home. One of our Irish colleagues had never had a Thanksgiving so he educated us via Google on his phone regarding its history! And yes we had turkey.
A good time was had by all at our CanAm Thanksgiving - another opportunity to engage our "support group".
As it is warm to hot all year round, sunny nearly every day, and sitting next to the Red Sea, part of many weekends lead to the water. In November the weather is beautiful being in the high 20's C - this will last until about March when it will start getting very hot. The middle of summer is actually uncomfortable at the beach (mid to high 40's C) so the season from November until March is ideal for outdoor pursuits.
There are several private beaches in Jeddah, open essentially to expat passport holders. Privacy is clearly an issue here. Previous Blogs have shown one of the popular beaches, this is another. These are November pictures, but no Fall colors or bare trees here.
Some of the Jeddah skyline in the distance - new construction. The facility on the shoreline seen on the left is a beautiful facility, with many trees planted, owned by a Prince in the Royal Family.
Off the point at the end of this beach one can enter the water close to the shore side coral reefs to do snorkelling or scuba diving - there is a shore based dive shop/facility at this resort. The top image shows this individual going down the steps built into the side of the rocks for easy entry.
As can be seen this could be much like a beach facility in the Med or the Caribbean, although private with partitions or walls (as can be seen here) along the sides. Warm clear water, nice sand and sunshine - the essential ingredients. Outside this facility we would have to adapt to the strict dress codes when in public.
Boat based offshore dive trips are popular with the expat community. Yes aspects of this have been covered before but this, along with the beach, have become one of our "routine" weekend choices, analogous to visiting our boat on summer weekends at home.
Getting to the dive boat early is a nice way to start the day avoiding the crowd in setting up, seeing the soft morning light, and having a donut and peaceful cup of coffee on the boat.
For the mariners it should be noted that it is not "red right returning" here, the buoys being reversed with "red right exiting" to the sea.
The ride going offshore scanning the horizon is always a pleasant part of the trip, while enjoying the journey not just the destination.
Some of the offshore reefs are marked by beacons, such as this one, other reefs are not - hence the large number of ship wrecks - good for divers, not for mariners. These reefs are ten to fifteen miles offshore.
This reef is not marked - but a good spot to stop to do some scuba diving, snorkelling, swimming or to just enjoy the sunshine.
Before the plunge - here fairly shallow, being about 40 - 50 feet deep.
Here snorkellers can be seen navigating through the reef system.
Despite the reputation the Red Sea has for sharks they are actually only seen rarely.
Waiting for divers to return - lunch is being heated.
Between the first and second dive, one has lunch provided. A requirement on scuba dives is to have a two hour window between dives, to avoid the risk of decompression sickness. Actually a nice break to recuperate and socialize.
Although there was time for two dives the coast guard had asked the boats to return a little earlier as a storm system was moving in from the North. We could feel the wind getting up and the waves beginning to build. This was our sister dive boat on the way back - two go out at a time.
Although not appreciated on this still image the wind and waves had been building from our stern - to me a more enjoyable ride back than if it had remained calm.
This episode has included three separate events during this past month of November. A window of sorts into one aspect of the expat life here. In a society that has a very different code of conduct to what we are used to in the West it is not only important, but essential, to make the effort to develop a community and to engage in the recreational choices that are available - these factors are important to either make or break one's outlook on life in the Magic Kingdom. Although psychologically and emotionally challenging at times, and needing our periods of solitude, we are attempting to keep life as full as possible.
