Hotel @nyware

"Land Lines are places but cell phones,people" One eyed man in the land of the blind You don't go to The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a tourist. In fact, there's no such thing as a tourist visa. If you're not making a pilgrimage to Mecca, and not Muslim, the only way to get into the country is with a work permit. Mixing between unrelated males and females is forbidden. Most social functions are single sex only and there is barely even eye contact made between men and women. Sound like fun?  The level of absurdity hit me when I read in the English-speaking newspaper that women cause 80% of the traffic accidents....this in a country that doesn't allow them to actually drive--"But you know what they mean" my Saudi counter part told me  "They are, how you say,  back-seat drivers-go here-no there".   Jeddah in 2002 , I witnessed the ongoing airlifting of  the entire 20 th  century infrastructure onto Saudi Arabia's  sandy soil and wiring it up...

Sun is shining. Wind is blowing. How bad can I be doing? It's The Middle East not The Mid West Hashing In Riyadh -a friendship of kindred spirits joined together for the sole purpose of forgetting about being so far away from home and remembering how simple it is to have fun. Motion creates emotion, whether you run or walk It's  good to get out and do something else besides work, sleep  eat, and complain about "Segregation Forever"(sexual apartheid) Mens-only Starbucks( and,  the naked mermaid logo is banned! ), Mens-Only Mall hours ( single men are only allowed into shopping centers at lunch time on weekdays )Men's Only...everything and everywhere! Ah the brightside of repression for women-It's a man's world. 2 words you quickly learn are halal (permissible) and haram (forbidden). With  the exception of wearing shorts ( I was thrown out of a restaurant because my body parts were showing ), "Western Rules" rule  for men a...

I'd appreciate it if you addressed me as Sir or Colonel, I believed I have earned it. The Hash House Harriers(H3) is  a worldwide drinking club with a running problem  The desert can be a near mystical/impersonal place, and heading out there on the weekends(Thursday-Friday here) is  a great way for expats to meet and keep in touch while enjoying the natural beauty of the desert. We even run in to a few camels once in a while. I'm thinking of America, not the country, the folk rock band and their song .... I've been through the desert on a horse with no name  It felt good to be out of the rain   

 Mr Brightside, the sage on the stage chalk and talker - "His blackboard skills put Rembrandt to shame Riyadh-"Learn English in five years---what's the hurry?" The map is the territory There is No Egg in Eggplant, No Ham in Hamburger, No Pine or Apple in Pineapple. You park your car in a driveway and drive your car on a parkway, Any questions about the English language? Yes...It's a language and a country.  This is so different from Aloha Friday's and teaching girls in Hawaii . Barbie Was Right-Math Is Hard "DLI (Defense Language Institute) -It’s a plain vanilla program, but it is the best program in the world,”  

In 2002 I was in Jeddah and had a great time making lots of money, getting paid in AMEX traveler checks, despite the cultural differences of dress and  conservative attitudes. Saudis say that money is not the key to happiness, but they figure  if you have enough money, you can have a key made. Signs???