Compound Security

All the compounds for expats I’ve seen are surrounded by a high wall which provides privacy and a degree of security.  The privacy is probably more effective as it prevents those living outside the compound from seeing half naked expats wearing normal clothing. :-)

The security consists of two inward checkpoints and one outward.  To enter the compound a vehicle must have a windscreen sticker or be on a resident’s ‘guest list’.  The traffic is slowed down by a series of chicanes between the entrance/exit and checkpoints.  There are also long approach and exit roads to give the security staff advanced notice of an approaching vehicle. 

At the first entrance checkpoint there is an armed Saudi National Guard soldier.  A very bored looking soldier.  He is there to protect the entrance and has nothing to do with the admittance of vehicles.  I guess he is there to lay his life on the line should the compound be attacked.  Frankly, if he even had the opportunity to take action, I suspect he’d be more inclined to try and save his neck.  Why would he want to place is life in jeopardy for a bunch of foreign ‘fat cats’?  The 1st checkpoint also has an unarmed compound security guard who scans the underside of each vehicle with a mirror and inspects inside the boot.  He also checking the engine compartment.  Well he did for the first week, but now doesn’t bother!  At the second checkpoint identification is checked.  But now they recognise me and Galeb and we just get waved through.  After the second checkpoint there is a moveable barrier which is usually open and a large sliding electrically operated gate.  It looks solid but actually could easily be knocked down by a lorry.

The road out is protected by tyre shredders in three locations.  However I have noticed that two sections of the tyre shredders are defective.  There are also numerous security cameras.

The exit road.

I believe the security is more superficial than effective and it wouldn’t last long if an armed serious attempt were to be made to breach it.  But then the last attempt to attack compounds was a decade ago in 2003.  After that had occurred the Saudi authorities had a serious crackdown on “terrorist cells” within the country.  My security assessment is I should be more concerned about my safety when facing the local traffic!  However I’ve also identified a personal “hide” should the compound be attacked whilst I’m in it.

Tor

I’ve started using Tor to access the internet.  Tor is the acronym for ‘The Onion Router’.  It is a software program that ‘bounces’ your internet connection through a large series of “relays” run by volunteers.  This makes it almost impossible for any authorities (such as the NSA) to track where you go on the internet.  Interestingly, TOR was actually developed for the US Navy, who still use it.  However since the spying revelations on the part of the NSA were made public there has been a significant increase in the number of people who have started using TOR.

The reason why I started using TOR was a number of websites are currently blocked to me by the censorship firewall here.  Some rather innocuous sites are blocked.  Moreover going sending information through the firewall enables the authorities to read what I write along with the mail I receive.  TOR circumvents this and makes me anonymous.  However, on the downside -  it can sometimes be slow!

This morning i went back to the building site for further discussions about the layout.  Whilst there I took a number of photos with the old digital Pentax and during this process it made a number of ‘beeps’.  Now I’ve discover there is no memory card in the camera.  Ah…..so that’s what the spare memory card back at the villa is for……… :-(

On the way back to the office the driver took me past “Tyre Town”, “Windscreen Village” and “Hubcap Alley” :-)  Commercial premises selling the same product congregate in certain parts of the city.  I’ve already been to the “Computer Market” where there is shop after shop selling almost everything related to computing. Whilst there I purchased a printer for the office.

Yesterday’s headline

The Riyadh city chief of police reported there were 12,000 observed traffic violations by his police during the previous 24 hours. 

12,000

The way they drive here I can’t believe the count was that low!

Apparently one of the most prevalent offences was driving whilst using a mobile phone.  Actually everyone seems to do it and I therefore thought it wasn’t an offence!  I’ve worked out another reason why four lanes of traffic turns to 6 or 7 at traffic lights.  The cars on the left all some intend to turn left across the traffic coming from the opposite direction.  So they “create” 3 extra lanes to bypass those vehicles queuing to turn left.  Unfortunately some vehicles on the right also decide to turn left.  Consequentially an enormous traffic jam occurs when the lights turn green whilst cars on the right wanting to turn left weave their way across the middle lanes wanting to go straight ahead.  And of course the clock it ticking for the lights to change.  Headlights flash and horns sound from drivers further back in the queue.  Oh what fun!

Eventually we arrive at the office.  I’m usually one of the first to arrive and find myself spending the entire day sitting in my office on an empty floor banging away on the keyboard.  All the documentation is gradually being downloaded from my head onto the hard drive.

 

 

Return of the passport

My passport arrived back in the office around midday.  I contains another stamp with some wiggly writing along with a separate piece of paper containing yet another stamp and an empty box for a third stamp.  I think I need to present the piece of paper when either exiting or re-entering the country.  Probably exiting to prove I actually left!   I’ve been told the authorities will only give me this one visa renewal from inside the country.  This means I have to leave the Kingdom on or before 30 January and then return on my multiple re-entry visa.  No… I don’t understand either!

Now I need to ask the question of my employer “Where do you want me to go?” and perhaps more importantly “Who is paying?”

I think the cheapest option would be for them to arrange a few business appointments in Dammam on the coast of the Persian Gulf and then send me over the causeway to Bahrain for a couple of days.  Currently I have no craving for alcohol, but by the end of January a beer might be higher on the agenda :-)

Saturday – Last day of the weekend!

The cupboards could do with another restocking which meant organising a trip to a supermarket.  The is a small supermarket in the compound but I suspect the prices are higher because they have a captive market.  The only way to find out is to shop off the compound. The compound does provide a free shopping bus twice daily, however it only runs Sun-Thu which is when I’m working.  There is no shopping bus on a Friday, but one of the supermarket chains provides a free shopping bus on Saturday.  My plan was to catch this bus and the timetable I’d been given stated the bus was going to Hayar Mall.  A quick check on Google Earth along with an internet search suggested this was a huge mall which also had an adjacent mall (Sahara) of equivalent size.  So I caught the shopping bus only to find I was the only passenger.  My suspicions were aroused.
The bus was quite interesting with curtains over all the windows.  My assumption is this is to provide “privacy” for the ladies travelling on the bus.  It probably also provides some protection from the sun and heat at the height of summer.

When the bus reached its destination we were nowhere near Hayar Mall.  Instead we had arrived at a Tamimi Supermarket adjacent to the Tarir Bookshop.  I’d previously walked to the bookshop from my hotel one evening.  At least I knew where I was.

Note the “Dunkin Donuts” shop.  There are fast food outlets everywhere.
Whilst I didn’t get to wander around a mall I found the time inside the supermarket quite an experience.  I’m sure Jan would love to wander around and see the huge range of products available for sale.  There appears to be a much greater variety that UK supermarkets.  Almost an hour was spent wandering with a trolley filling it with local produce.  I’m attempting to avoid the imported food as it tends to be more expensive. 
There must be a military airbase in the centre of Riyadh as F15 Eagle’s and Tornado fighters were doing circuits overhead as I left the supermarket with my loaded trolley.  The driver helped me load everything into the bus and then told me there would be a 3 minute delay whilst we waited for some ladies.  I glanced out the window and happened to notice yet another of those many hazards the locals seem to leave for the unwitting expat.

My guess is the pole was knocked down by a vehicle and has been removed.  But no one has thought to remove the bolts in the middle of the footpath!
The ladies catching the bus appeared to be either Indonesian or Malays.  The language is almost identical.  The bus driver didn’t take them to a compound.  Instead the alighted outside a large apartment block.  The driver actually spoke quite reasonable english and when I asked him where he from from I was slightly surprised when he replied “Kashmir!”
On arrival back at the unit the shopping was stowed in the pantry or fridge and I then put on another load of laundry and started the dishwasher.  The ironing for the week has been done and I swept the floor.  I’m rather domesticated!  There should be some time for the gym later in the afternoon and then I need to catch up on some work.

Christmas Day

Well here I am, just another normal day at the office.  Actually I’m usually one of the first to the building and then I’m in the new section all on my own.  It’s quite peaceful and provides a good environment to work undisturbed! 

Last night I surprised myself by cooking a delicious evening meal.  Well it was probably below par if a half decent cook had prepared it.  More grilled turkey sausages (from the USA), steamed mixed veg (from Belgium) and baked chips (Saudi).  I might try something different tonight…. Perhaps an omelette using the cheap eggs with cheese and some of the mixed veges.

I appear to have a gardener.  The young fellow (Gerome) who turned up on Saturday asking to be the gardener must have been waiting for me to contact him.  Meanwhile the gardener from the unit next door just started washing down my patio and doing the grounds.  I liked his initiative and the risk he was prepared to take in doing the work without an agreement.  This morning I managed to have a few words and we have agreed on a price.  The maid next door also approached me last Friday about the cleaning.  Again I deferred on an immediate decision waiting to see what happens.  Amara is Indian and she made the observation/query “No Missy?”  Obviously the woman is astute enough to know who she would have to please!

Most of the workforce on the compound appear to be Indian with the management being Lebanese.  The compound is owned by a Saudi company but it’s most unlikely any Saudi would be willing to do the manual work.

I had another brief conversation with the Philippine Tea Boy this morning and established his annual salary equates to approximately two weeks of my own.  He gets home once every two years (if lucky) and had a slight grumble that he hadn’t received a pay increase since he arrived.  But he did admit he was still making more money than when he was in the Philippines.  Puts life into perspective!

The construction team has deferred my meeting with them for the third time.  Get used to business in Saudi Arabia. 

Small’s

Yes the locals do wear small’s and I’ve managed to purchase a pack of three.  You can have any colour you like… as long as it’s white!  I guess that makes sense when you wear a white Thobe over the top.  And some of my missing clothing has re-appeared.  the Bangladeshi laundry boy had included three pairs of socks and some underwear in the package he had wrapped around the hotel towel which I’d had laundered.

Meanwhile, I have been separated from my passport as it heads off for the Saudi business visa to be renewed for another 30 days.  Instead I have a photocopy of the passport and a letter (in Arabic) with a company stamp.  I guess it tells the reader that I work for the company and my passport is away for a visa renewal.  As you would have guessed, with my luck Galeb (my driver) and I had to go through two police checkpoints on the way home last night.  Fortunately they checked the car in front of us on both occasions and we were able to slip through; albeit slowly!

My birthday suit is finding the new sheets on the bed rather itchy/scratchy so I decided to do another load of washing when I arrived back at the unit last night and launder the second set of bedding ready for the weekend.  This second lot of bed linen went into the machine along with all my other dirty laundry.  At the end of an hour I found I now own a lovely pale pink shirt and pink undies.  The latter won’t be seen so it’s not an issue.  However I’m not sure what the locals with make of my pink shirt?  But at least the new sheets have been washed and dried.

It was rather late by the time I made it back to the unit and I wasn’t in the mood for cooking.  This is where the microwave comes in handy.  I tore the top off a tin of ‘Texas Strawberries’ and then realised I didn’t have a container to microwave them in.  Eventually I decided on a dessert bowl.  The new toaster worked <hooray>.  Then I microwaved three turkey frankfurters which had been on special at the supermarket.  This was followed by a couple of poached eggs.  I wasn’t clever enough to do all this simultaneously so the meal was a drawn out affair.  Anyway, they all get mixed up inside!

The following photo provides just one small example of the challenges faced by this country.

The country has two different electrical systems (American 110V and UK 240V).  The compound was built for Americans and fitted with 110V sockets.  but Saudi Arabia has recently decided the sole system will be 240V.  All my appliances are 240V and fitted with a 3 pin UK plug.  To get them to work each power socket requires an adapter which does NOT have an earth pin.  Consequentially all my appliances are working without an earth.  Not as safe as I would like!

Just another hiccup!

This morning I was informed that when my business visa expires in six months I’ll need to reapply for a Work Visa.  Amongst other things, this will enable me to open a bank account and give me an Iqama (Saudi ID card).  The Iqama is essential for a ‘normal’ life here.  But then I was informed that as I am on a New Zealand passport I will need to apply for my Work Visa in New Zealand.  My sponsor is going to have to pay for a return flight to NZ and accommodation there until the Saudi Embassy issues me with a visa.  This could take a fortnight (or longer).  Don’t ask…… I don’t understand either!

The new accommodation

There have been no blog posts over the last couple of days because of the lock of internet and internet connection.  I spent the weekend (Fri & Sat) moving to my new accommodation on Al Yamama Village.  At 2.00pm on Friday Galeb (my driver) arrived at the hotel to load my large (half empty) suitcase into the back of the company Nissan sedan and then drove me to Riyadh Avenue Mall where I headed upstairs to grab a shopping trolley before entering the Lulu Department Store.  I’m a quick shopper racing around the shop throwing linen and other soft furnishings into the trolley until it started to overflow.  I was two minutes late arriving at the checkout just as prayer time was announced.  After a 20 minute delay I gave the first trolley load to Galeb and headed back for a second trolley.

This time it was the remaining bedding, a 32” LED TV and a microwave.  Galeb scratched his head looking at the second load and the remaining room in the car.  Whilst he reshuffled the load it was back to the supermarket for me.  A third trolley was required to buy all the kitchenware, ironing board, iron, kettle, etc.  The look on Galeb’s face was worth a photo and we eventually departed with the mop, broom and ironing board stick between us whilst I lovingly nursed the large plastic rubbish bin between my strong thighs.

There are two security checkpoints at the compound.  To get through the second checkpoint you must either be a resident or on a residents guest list held at the gate.  I talked my way through (proves the security is probably more visual than effective) and Galeb helped me empty the car into the foyer.  Actually I had to remember where the unit was as dusk was falling by this time.

The evening was spent unpacking and placing all the purchases in the correct (well interim) locations.  The following are some photos of the unit.  It’s very spacious and comfortable.

Front of the unit with double front doors and a small lawn

The village roads are very wide and the units are well spaced apart with plenty of manicured vegetation

The recreation complete with restaurant, gym, squash and badminton courts

The administration block with offices, supermarket, laundry, library, etc.  The buses belong to the compound and are used for shopping trips, school runs, sports events, etc

Three pools……very important in the height of summer

Half the main lounge room

Other half

Foyer and main entrance

His ‘n’ Hers toilets.  I’ve asked them to fit a seat to Jan’s toilet.  I first thought it was a drinking fountain.  Hope Jan doesn’t play with any of the knobs as she’ll get a shock!

The unit has three bathroom.  They a big on bathrooms in this part of the world!

Kitchen, with dishwasher, BIG oven, HUGE American fridge/freezer, large washing machine and dryer.

Kitchen, looking back into the pantry which is enormous.  My one packet of instant pot noodles  on the shelves looks forlorn and very lonely.

Main bedroom with en-suite

I know….. the bedding looks like it should be in an Egyptian bordello.  But I’m buying on price and it was less than half the price of the other bedding.  The bed is huge (6ft) and I wander around in it when sleeping.

Galeb (driver) has just be told by me (using the phrase book) that we need to do more shopping for the few items I’ve missed.  I’ve also discovered all the power sockets are American style twin flat pin whilst all my appliance plugs are UK 3pin rectangular.  I need to buy seven socket adapters.

Where have my ‘smalls’ gone!

I arrived in this country 19 days ago with sufficient socks and underpants to last just over a week.  Now I’m down to four pairs!  Where have they gone?  I’m starting to think the reason why the Bangladeshi laundry boy has a smile on his face isn’t because I tipped him.

One task for this weekend has now been defined.  I need to locate an underwear retailer.  There hasn’t been an opportunity to look under one of the local’s Thobe’s and check if they wear smalls, but thinking about it they may not.  Particularly as they squat and then use the hose to wash.  I might end up having to go ‘commando’….. Glad my trousers are all light-weight and not coarse heavy serge! <shudder>

The roll of toilet paper I brought with me is down to the last 20%.  Bringing it was a good decision as I noticed the locally available stuff (actually imported) is expensive (locals don’t use it) and the diameter of the cardboard tube in the middle is much larger than the UK roll.  Funny how you notice these small things!

I thought I’d adjusted to being a pedestrian in the local traffic but had a close call today when I failed to remember they drive on the right wrong other side of the road.  I was looking left at a 3 lane road clear of traffic and almost stepped off the footpath into a line of a vehicle coming from the opposite direction.  I’ve also learned to weave my way through the moving lanes of vehicles like the locals.  At least the drivers are aware of you and there are NO drunk drivers.  There is local beer, but it’s non-alcoholic, and tastes like the Bangladeshi laundryman washed my smalls in it before bottling!

A representative from my local employer has now contacted me wanting to see my return ticket and passport.  Apparently I should not have been able to purchase a return ticket for three months after my arrival.  I queried “Why?” given I have a six month business visa.  Apparently in this country your visa must be renewed every 30 days.  Even if you have a six month visa!  So I have a visa valid for six months with multiple entries every 30 days.  Effectively this means I need to reapply for a visa every 30 days.  If the visa isn’t approved in advance I have to leave the country and then re-enter on my existing six month multiple entry visa.  No… I don’t understand either!

Another drive around Riyadh today enabled me to identify some further unique driving rules.  My driver steered with two thumbs resting on the bottom of the steering wheel.  Two toots for left… and right…. and straight ahead!  I now realise why they all toot at the cars in front when waiting at traffic lights.  If you are at the front and don’t creep beyond the traffic light (there isn’t one on the opposite side of the intersection) then another driver will mount the footpath and make their way down past the queued traffic before crossing in front of you adopting ‘pole position’.  So EVERYONE in the front row goes beyond the traffic light.  Of course they can’t SEE the light from this position and when the light turns green they don’t know to move.  So everyone behind toots.  But then some of the dirty ‘b@st@rds’ behind toot when the light is red.  When this happened today the three cars in the front row sprinted across the intersection into the path of traffic accelerating from their right who had the green light.  Apparently the situation used to be even more chaotic until the authorities started mounting red light cameras around the city.  These have had some effect but the fine is only $300 (no demerit system) and a reasonable proportion the wealthy Saudi’s just “go for it” and pay the cumulative fine at the end of the month.

Bump on the head

Interestingly, a small percentage of the male population have a dark mark in the middle of their forehead as if they have a bruise.  The mark is about twice the size of an Indian caste mark and slightly higher.  They couldn’t all be banging into doors, and I now think I’ve worked out the cause.  A Muslim prays five times daily and that usually involves laying out a small prayer mat facing towards Mecca.  They then kneel on the mat and as part of their prayer routine bend forward touching their forehead on the ground.  Some of them use a small wooden block on which they touch their head.  I assume this avoids having to place your head on a dirty mat.  however if you repeatedly (5 times a day) seriously bang your head on a small object you will eventually develop a dark callus under the skin.

It might be assumed by some observer that this is one very devout follower.  However I’m more of the belief it a case of “Look at me…… am I not devout!”

My father once pointed me towards Matthew Chapter 6 Verses 5 & 6

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Makes sense to me………

The contract for my unit on the western compound has been received by my employer and is now awaiting signature.  The date for moving from the 3 star (joke) local hotel to the the unit is this Friday.  Which just happens to be the local equivalent of Sunday.  somehow I can’t see the move occurring on that day as I need to purchase all the soft furnishings, etc.

The annual rental has to be paid in advance.  It’s £31,600pa and I’m glad I’m not paying!  Particularly as it’s non-refundable.  The price of western accommodation has sky-rocketed in the last decade because almost no new western compounds have been built.  Westerners fled Saudi Arabia after three compounds were attacked by Al Qaeda and approximately 30 people killed.  Then the global financial crisis struck.  Now Saudi Arabia is into some serious infrastructure development and the unemployed westerns (like me) are flooding back in.  Of course 99.9% of us are doing it for the money!  I’ve heard some of the western expats grumble about the conditions.  All I can say is “If you think this is rough…. Try living in Iran!”  In Iran I managed one swim in a local water hole and another in the abandoned UK embassy pool.  The compound pool is 150 yards from my front door!

Tea Boys

I remember many years ago having to work in Defence Headquarters for three months as a temporary replacement for a colleague who had been fortunate enough to be selected as a short term exchange officer.  His UK army exchange replacement went to another location leaving a ‘hole’ that I was directed to fill (as well as doing my own job!).

The time wasn’t enjoyable.  I don’t like working in a head office where you are just one of the thousands of leemings arriving and departing morning and night.  It was also my first encounter with the government tea lady.  Every morning at 10.00am sharp she would arrive pushing a tea trolley with the urn on top and the cups & saucers underneath.  We’d all get a cup of tea.  There was nothing similar back out on the shop floor.  You made you own tea!

Of course the tea ladies have all gone these days.  A sign of the times and part of the invariable cost cutting exercises during the last 40 years.  So you can imagine what a surprise it was to find tea ladies boys in Saudi Arabia.  Every company (government & commercial) appears to have them.  Female can’t interact with males which means they are all male.  Moreover no Saudi appears to want to serve tea so all the tea boys are foreigners.  The two that work in my office are both from the Philippines and one is a very old ‘boy’.  Probably almost as old as me!  They all appear to wear a waistcoat with bowtie and wander the office complex five times daily serving tea or coffee in a small glass cup.  Like most of the non western expats in this country they get one paid holiday home every year.  You can only wonder what their salary is; where they live in Saudi Arabia; and how much money they manage to save and send home.  My Tea Boy is from Mindanao and he seemed quite pleased that I knew the island had recently been struck by a devastating typhoon and was concerned enough to ask.  He told me his family was safe. Looking at the life of a tea boy makes one realise just how fortunate you were to be born in a different environment with significantly greater opportunities to live a more affluent life.

Burp, and is this a bargain

It rained overnight and in the morning the dust on the roads had dampened down to a thin layer of mud.  It was also quite cold and I was glad I bought the winter fleece with me from the UK.  I know from time in Iran and trips to Alice Springs that it can get bitterly cold in the desert at night which is why I had anticipated colder temperatures. 

Deciding on a new eating strategy, I invited one of the recently arrived Egyptian manager to join me for dinner, provided he selected the restaurant and chose the food.  A cunning plan as I can’t read Arabic!  His English is reasonably good (he tells me all Egyptians are taught English at school) and we were able to converse in broken English.  The restaurant he took me to was (another) fast food outlet, this one specialized in Egyptian food.  My dish was a mix of rice, pasta, various lentils and small strips of beef.  It came with three types of sauces.  One was a thin tomato, the second lemon grass, and the third a type of watery gravy.  There was also a side dish of ‘Nan’ (flat, unleavened wholemeal brown bread) and a plate of chips.  Everything seems to come with chips in this country.  The change in diet was welcome after a fortnight of kebarbs.  However the serving was too large and in the end I left half of it.  No ‘doggy bags’ here as no one keeps a dog!

After the meal we wandered around the exterior of King Abdullah Park.  It’s open to men on Monday and Wednesday with women and families on all other days.  I’m being discriminated against!

After braving the traffic back to the apartment I wandered across to see my favourite Bangladeshi laundry man where I collected and pay for my washing and ironing (£2), and get my smile and wave!  Next was the local mini-mart to restock my depleted pantry.  The flies are starting to put in an appearance (probably attracted by the delicious smells emanating from the drain in the bathroom floor) which meant fly spray was added to the list. I’m not buying drain cleaner as (hopefully) I have less than a week before moving to my new accommodation.

These are my purchases which cost approximately £6.50.  Is the cost of living cheaper here?

Essential man food! Have to maintain a balanced diet……

Hazardous…..

I went for a long walk last night.  Actually it was much longer than planned as I managed to geographically embarrass myself.  The idea was to walk a large rectangle but somehow I missed a turn walking a considerable distance not knowing where I was.  Of course I could have flagged a Taxi and been returned to the apartment, but that would mean admitting I was lost.  Eventually I saw a MacDonald's sign in the distance and realised I knew where I was.  Unfortunately it was a different MacDonald's! <oh dear>  Along the way I noticed a couple of interesting signs.

Does this one look familiar?

Yes…. It’s Burger King!

Across the road was a Pizza Hut.  Now that would make a change from Kebarbs.

Unfortunately it’s also considerably more expensive!

Not far from Burger King was a Jarir Bookshop.  It’s a combination bookshop and electronics/computer shop.

My bad sense of timing resulted in my arrival coinciding with one of the five daily prayer times when the country grinds to a halt.  All the customers had to leave during prayers and I wasn’t allowed in for 20 minutes.

This morning I went for another wander around the city going west this time to the Riyadh Avenue Mall.  The following is a typical Riyadh suburban street scene.

It’s an ‘inwards’ focussed society.  Homes have an intercom and door on a wall with no ground floor windows.  I glanced through one ajar door and noticed an inner courtyard.  Rubbish lies everywhere and a constant cleaning force is out picking up littler and sweeping the roads.  Well more sweeping the centre of the road.  The edges don’t get swept!  There is NO graffiti and there are no dogs.  Muslims don’t like dogs!  Cats wander everywhere.  Most seem very skinny and can be found picking through the rubbish bins.

Rubbish is disposed into skip bins which are strategically placed around the neighbourhood.

Notice the bag of rubbish didn’t quite make it into the bin!  Many of the locals just wander around dropping their rubbish on the ground.  I guess they believe they are keeping the cleaning teams employed.  You know when it’s prayer time on Friday because the roads look like this….

You cannot but help it notice the difference in attitude towards safety.  These workers were four stories up on scaffolding two planks wide with no fall arrest harnesses or safety rails.

<wrong move….>  Oops.. splat!  “Abdul we need a replacement migrant worker!”

Great idea to “green” the city but the trees make the footpath impassable for pedestrians who are forced to walk on the adjacent road.  Moreover the hole around the tree hasn’t been covered and is a hazard.  Of course 90% of the time you must walk on the road because the footpath is uneven and covered with hazards like the following.

This was on a street corner.  Some person has seen the protruding bolt hazard and created a second hazard with the piece of concrete.  I’ve seen numerous similar instances where a signpost has been removed and the mounting bolts just left behind.

I have to be very careful with the traffic.  they drive on the wrong side right side other side of the road.  I have to keep reminding myself to look in the wrong other direction first to avoid a confrontation with a vehicle!

At 10pm I went back to the laundry to claim my clothing from the surly Bangaldeshi.  What a transformation.  He was all smiles and promptly found my freshly laundered clothes.  Even to socks and undies have been ironed (fortunately not starched).  Why the transformation… well I tipped him 5 Rials (90p) when I last collected my laundry.

He saw my old pentax and wanted his picture taken.  Then he wanted to converse in Beng-english about cricket.  I tried to explain it was a game invented by the English which is normally played for 5 days and usually neither side wins.  Somehow I don’t think he understood!

Well that’s the second weekend in Saudi Arabia completed.

Wedding Street

In one of the earlier posts I mentioned how the shops in Riyadh tend to co-locate by type.  The fast food outlets (kebarbs) are together. Next it’s the sports shops and then the optical stores, etc.  Walking around last night I came upon wedding dress street.  Shop after shop full of wedding dresses.  All the dresses were white and off the shoulder.  There were some beautiful dresses but what amused me the most was the sales staff were all male.  Women can’t work!  So how does a potential bride get measured for her wedding dress.  The shop assistants can’t touch her and she can’t remove her abyaha or veil….. It’s a puzzle?  Adjacent to the wedding dress stores was a row of shops selling ball gowns.  Many of them were too “glittery” for me being covered in sequins.  But there are no public “Balls” in Saudi Arabia.  There aren’t even any cinemas, theatres, or art galleries, etc.  A husband certainly wouldn’t allow his wife to be seen in public in one of these dresses.  I guess she buys it and only wears the thing at home either for his personal viewing or to show immediate female family member.

Last night’s dinner was <you guessed it> kebarb!  This time it was a vegetarian kebarb with what I think was crumbed chickpea vegetarian meatballs as a filling covered in mayo, cheese and tomato.  It came as a sandwich that was toasted.  So I am now into a three day routine of meat kebarb, vegetarian kebarb and ‘Golden Arches’.  The latter being the most expensive.  On the way back to my room I stopped at the small supermarket run by the Bangladeshi to by some water, date filled biscuits and orange juice.  He smiled and threw a small stick of chewing gum into the plastic bag as a ‘gift’.  I guess that means I’m a good customer and have been paying him too much!

The internet connection at work isn’t functioning as I write this.  Actually it hasn’t been working since I arrived this morning and I spent an hour fault finding with this new laptop thinking it was my setup that was the problem.  Everyone else appeared to be working which led me to believe I was the only one with an issue.  I guess they were all writing their own blog posts offline!

An opportunity arose to visit another western compound.  This time it was via an agent/broker who gets a 5% commission if he can place someone in a rental apartment of compound.  Mohammed was originally from the Sudan and has spent the last 16 years in Riyadh.  He had all the sale patter along with the usual expensive looking vehicle. “Everyone knows me  I can get you onto any compound.  I know all the managers!” The compound he took me to had some sleepy looking bored National Guard soldiers at the checkpoint along with a tired looking HUMMV topped with a 50cal machine gun.  There was no one manning the gun and given the last attack on a compound occurred a decade ago I strongly suspect the guards aren’t the “pick of the bunch”.  I will have to produce my own risk management and evasion plan rather than rely on these fellows to protect me.  The compound I’d prefer to be housed on has a considerably longer approach road, although the Saudi National Guard personnel look just as bored.  The gate security staff supplied by the compound management look more alert. However they are probably paid a pittance and I can’t envisage them placing their lives on the line for some “fat cat” western in the event the compound were to be attacked.

Night 3 in the cycle – Must be Golden Arches for dinner! :-)

The Bank

I know Bill….. The spelling and grammar have gone to hell since Jan stopped the proof-reading!

It  was interesting walking back to the hotel last night listening to the prayer callers warbling in competition over the loud speakers on the many mosques in the local area.  I guess not having to walk to the top of the minaret five times every day means they have probably lost their fitness.  Some of the warbling actually sounds rather musical and attractive.  Although I was stunned for a brief moment when I was sure I’d hear “Dance with me and kiss my arse!” Surely not; it must be my poor hearing.

Today’s plan was to go to a bank to exchange some of my UK pounds for Saudi Rials.  I chose the central bank of SABB in Riyadh as it has the HSBC logo and I suspect it’s actually a HSBC joint venture.  The interior was very modern but crowded with migrant workers.  Actually, as all the ‘illegal workers’ have recently been deported it can’t be nearly as crowded as usual.  Anyway I joined the queue at the information counter (it’s called ‘Fast Service’) and the queue slooowly advanced.  Then the adjacent ticketing machine where you obtain your queue number burst into life and i was nearly crushed by a thundering herd of Bangladeshi’s who rushed to it and grabbed a ticket.  Reaching the front of the queue I asked “Where can I change some foreign currency?” and was informed “Upstairs… Take a ticket!”  The ticket machine has a range of options for different departments.  After going through the options I eventually selected ‘Teller’.  On walking upstairs I found all my new Bangladeshi friends occupying the seats.  They’ve obviously been here before and know the drill!  The bank staff have the mentality that your need them… they don’t need you!  It also became obvious that it didn’t matter what department you selected on the ticket machine downstairs you were back in one big queue.  Forty minutes later my number appears on the screen for Teller 6.  As I head to the counter a Bangladeshi jumped in ahead of me.  The Teller didn’t bother to check his ticket number and he got served before me.  Oh well….. Have to get used to this environment.  I then told the Teller I wanted to change UK pounds for Rials.  He asked me “Do you have an account with us?”  “No!” I reply. “You can’t change money with us unless you have an account!” he tells me.  I can’t open a bank account in Saudi Arabia whilst I’m in the country on a six month Business Visa.  I don’t want to take any foreign money out of their country….. I WANT TO GIVE THEM SOME!  Bugger it……  Off I go leaving the Bangladeshi’s jockeying for a gap in the queue.

Back in the bank foyer I try my UK debit card in the ATM.  Great; it’s recognised, and I can withdraw a minimum amount of SAR500 (approximately £80).  So their banking system won’t accept foreign currency but it will give me local currency using a foreign card.  It might be a good plan to have my entire salary banked into the UK account and draw what I need locally using the UK card.

With the money burning a hole in my pocket I went back to the car and tested my nerves by having the driver take me to a nearby shopping mall where I wanted to purchase a towel. 

Alleyways are single lane.  Most suburban roads are dual carriageway with larger roads (like the one outside the hotel) being three lanes each way.  The major roads can be 4-6 lanes, except at traffic lights where they become 8-10 as drivers squeeze together under starters orders.  If you can’t get pole position then sound your horn to encourage the others!  There are marked lanes… but who uses them!  At least the road signs are in english and arabic.

The driver took me to ‘Riyadh Avenue Mall’ and it actually turns out to be very nice.  There’s a department store on the second floor where I wander around looking for towels.  After find the racks of towels I discover that underneath those white Thobe’s and black Abyaha’s Saudi’s are obviously very small and skinny.  I’d need two of these towels to fit around my waist. Worked it out…. The larger towels are at floor level.  I want a brown coloured towel so the dirty isn’t that obvious.  In the end I had to settle for black.  49 rials, about £9.  I’m then sent to the far checkout counter where two pairs of eyes behind black sheets scan my towel and take my money before giving me the towel back in a large plastic bag. Women working and interfacing with men!  This is a progressive store! 

Back downstairs there is a large supermarket.  Seizing the opportunity I slipped in and purchased a box of tissues (actually they came as a pack of 3 boxes).  They will be used to blow my nose and, in an emergency, clean the other end.  I thought some bananas and oranges might help my diet.  There were none of those juicy Jaffa oranges from Israel in stock (wonder why) so I settled for Valencia’s.  The price of apples looked prohibitive.  Things might change next month after some money gets deposited in our account.

Riyadh Avenue isn’t the largest mall in the city. We passed another huge mall later on.

Love the sheltered car parking….. Just like Oz!

Another familiar store……

Day 10 and the driving rules are understood

I think I might have the local driving rules sorted.

• Turning left – 1 to 2 toots on the horn
• Turning right – 1 to 2 toots on the horn
• Stopped at red traffic lights – Toot as frequently as the mood takes you.
• When in the outside lane (of 4) feel free to cut across the other 3 lanes if your exit is very close.
• Weaving through traffic at speed is acceptable.
• When the nose of your vehicle is only just in front of adjacent vehicles you are allowed to toot twice and turn across their path.
• Never use your indicators as it allows other drivers to block you in or cut you out
• Only give way to Saudi drivers because in the event of an accident with a foreigner they are never in the wrong!
• Feel free to cut across asian or indian drivers as they are the bottom of the pecking order.

Easy once you know the rules!

I’m getting heartily sick of kebarbs for dinner.  This evening I splashed out and ordered a kerbarb with a side dish of lawnmower clippings and damp bird seed.  Sad to say I ate it all.  I haven’t seen butter since I arrived!  But then I’ve no means of cooking in the apartment.

Most people know to only change money at the airport if desperate.  I decided to change 100GBP in the departure hall at Heathrow and got a cr@p exchange rate.  They were prepared to change all my pounds for Saudi Rials but I was wise to them.  The exchange left me with approximately 560 Rials and I now have 167Rials left.  So it has cost approximately 80GBP (food, laundry, tips, etc) over the last 10 days.  Accommodation is being paid by my employer.  Of course my cost of living would increase significantly if I decided to eat western food.  Whilst in the Panda supermarket last Saturday I looked at Kelloggs cereals <ouch!>.  When I’m able to make my own breakfast it might be toast, or even carry on eating the date filled biscuits.  Dinner might be Texas strawberries :-)

There was a slight “win” today when I managed to get ‘Manuel’ (Fawlty Towers) to clean the room.  I’ve been grumbling about the dirty room and linen.  Apparently I have to ASK to have the room cleaned.  I arrived to find Manuel pushing the dirt on the floor into the corners and behind the wardrobe.  He proudly showed me the sheets had been replaced and <amazing> the pillows now have pillow cases!  He was hovering around the door obviously wanting a tip for doing his job <be kind to your mother>!

Here are a few photos I managed to take going to the site of the workshop this morning.

Just in case you didn’t know how to write M&S in arabic

The ‘Bottle opener’ through the dust storm in the distance.  It’s one of the two landmarks on the Riyadh skyline.

The other high building has the captured ball.

The sign in the bottom right of the photo indicates the maximum road speed.  The squashed zero means 5 and the dot means zero.  Speed limit is 50kmh!

I noticed this building through the traffic and thought it looked rather unusual.  Notice the vehicle in front has removed his indicator bulbs just in case he forgot….. and used them :-)

The site of the workshop

Last job for the evening was to clean my shoes.  they were covered in dust and dirt from walking around the site.  I needed something to clean them on and all I had was the prayer mat.  If you see a local walking around with a black mark on his forehead then he probably used this room after me!  Actually I haven’t made the great mistake like one other expat.  He used the stainless steel urinal trough only to discover it was the foot wash basin used by the locals before attending prayers. <oops!>

It’s a seesaw ride

After a week living in this grubby and smelly apartment I’m starting to get annoyed!  You can only eat kebarbs and fast food for so many nights before you start to tire of it!  The hotel staff are friendly but there is little interest in doing any work.  It took two days to get a towel and now its starting to smell……. Soon the smell will transfer to me!  Actually everyone is friendly and wanting a free english lesson.  It’s the benign neglect and apathy that’s frustrating.

Today I put my foot down about moving onto a compound.  If you don’t know it there are two options available to expats.  You either rent a private apartment or rent something on a compound.  The latter is considerably more expensive but you tend to get western management and service.  It tends to be a microcosm of western life where residents can dress and move around without having to comply with the local culture.  They all have walls around them and are guarded.  The religious police are not allowed into the compound.  The employment contract I negotiated included the requirement for my employer to house me on a western compound that has a pool and a gym (my requirements).  however the local staff have been telling me they have been having difficulty finding a vacancy in a compound near work.  Today I managed to get them to understand I didn’t mind travelling and I drew a circle on the map of Riyadh.  I hope that was successful because I have appointments tomorrow to look at two compounds.  One is closer to work and the other is on the opposite side of the city but near the majority of the other western compounds.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the building industry in the country has almost ground to a halt.  Moreover few new compounds have been built in the last decade after many expats fled when terrorists attacked three compounds.  The expats are now back in numbers and there is a shortage of compound accommodation.  Consequentially the cost of renting has skyrocketed.  I’m not concerned about the price (the employers is paying).  It’s the availability and suitability which is of concern!

My business cards have arrived.  I may be "a “Suit” but my title is “Chief Expert for Rolling Stock Maintenance”.   Quite a mouthful! :-)

This afternoon I was shown to my new office.  It’s in a corner of the new head office on the top floor.  there is only one other person in this part of the building but the numbers will grow as more are recruited.  there is a great view out my window of the concrete wall of the adjacent building.  I suspect if I were higher then the view might not be much better as the visibility is poor!

One of my Saudi colleagues brought me in some traditional Syrian home cooked food today.  I’ll take it back to the apartment but it might be interesting trying to heat it with a match to light the gas and I don’t have any pots, plates, utensils, or cutlery in the room!  I guess if I’m hungry enough I’ll find a way!

I found a Panda……..

It was cool enough for a walk around the local suburbs this morning so I packed my passport, hat, shades wallet, gps and new phrase book into my laptop bag and headed roughly south.  One of the first things you notice about Riyadh is it is certainly not pedestrian friendly.  If there is a footpath then the owners of the property have probably either utilized it as a car parking space or the branches of the trees are so low you have to walk around them.  The following photo was taken in one of the few areas where it was actually possible to walk on the footpath.  Usually you dice with death and walk on the edge of the road.

Another rather normal thing for the middle east is for every building to have at least one large water storage tank on the roof.

The city water supply can vary between erratic and non existent.  Consequentially every building has sufficient storage capacity to cover the gaps in supply.  Moreover I’ve also observed a number of large water tankers going around delivery to properties.  The building I will manage has no delivered services,  Water will be delivered by tanker, electricity will come from a generator and the sullage & sewerage will be removed by tanker.

There was a newspaper article several days ago reporting 140,000 illegal workers had been deported in the last few months.  It’s not hard to see where these workers were being employed.

The above are just a couple of examples of the many construction sites I’ve noticed where the tower cranes are silent and nothing is happening.  They are ghost sites!  A local informed me an illegal construction worker might make 100 euro per month.  Legal workers make 300 euro’s.  The cost of labour has just increased by 300% and I suspect construction has halted because of a lack of workers and spiralling costs.

It will be interesting to see what affect this has on my own construction project?  I wonder if David Cameron could just kick out 160,000 people by threatening them with a jail sentence?

The good news is I noticed a Panda during my walk.

Not a bear……..  Panda is a local supermarket chain.  I’ve finally been able to buy some fruit and a bar of soap.  I’m getting tired of kebabs for dinner every night!  On a more positive note the cost of living is much lower than the UK.  My accommodation costs are covered by my employer and I suspect it might (at a squeeze) be possible to exist on 100 GBP per month.

Life was certainly harder when I lived in Iran!

I’m a “Suit”!

I do recall the expression “The suits are here!”  It was a derogatory term for visiting managers!  Apparently I’m now one.  My temporary accommodation in Riyadh is a 3 Star hotel.

You probably can’t see the English version of the hotel name.

As you can see, I’m living in a hotel for suits! :-)

What they really mean is it is a hotel that consists of furnished suites.  Now there’s nothing fancy about this hotel.  Manuel from Fawlty Towers is a small Pakistani and appears to do all the work.  This isn’t actually much because when he isn’t gently and slowly pushing the dirt from one side of the corridor to the other he’s either sucking tea or off getting food for the two Saudi receptionists.  They mostly sit looking bored or chat to friends on their mobile phones.  The apartments might be furnished but they are certainly not serviced!  I’ve been here a week and in that time I’m the only one who has entered the room.

My apartment is a rectangular shape with a small lounge/kitchen  followed by a bathroom and then the largest room, the bedroom.

The lounge room has a fridge in one corner that has one temperature (frozen).  I discovered this when I left a bottle of water in it only to discover I’d be drinking ice.  The kitchen has a sink, oven and hot plates.  But there are no cooking utensils, plates or cutlery.  I guess the locals bring their own?  I also noticed there were a large number of take-away menus on the counter a reception.  At the other end of the room is a TV and sat-box.  I haven’t turned it on knowing there will be nothing of interest.

Saudi TV is dead boring and highly censored, which is why almost every house has a large satellite dish on the roof to receive slightly more interesting transmissions from the adjacent gulf states.  I hope you can appreciate the irony that on one hand Saudi Arabia restricts what can be transmitted locally and on the other many of the foreign TV stations are owned by wealthy Saudi’s.

The bathroom is certainly better than the one I had when living in Iran.  The smell from the drains isn’t nearly as bad although I have noticed my sinuses clear when bending over the drain in the hand basin to shave or clean my teeth.

Water dribbles out of the shower head; but at least it is hot!  I consider myself blessed not to have a squat toilet.  These days I have great difficulty squatting and I’d be likely to loose my balance and fall over!  I’m also pleased I bought a roll of toilet paper with me otherwise it would be the wet backside tick after using the hose.

The bedroom is huge and so is the bed.

It’s so wide I can sleep sideways.  There are two window mounted air conditioning units that groan, rumble and wheeze as if they are on deaths door.  It’s too hot to not have one on so I usually leave the lounge air-con on when I go to bed.  The distant moaning sends me to sleep!

did you notice the mat at the foot of the bed.  It’s a prayer mat although I’m not using it for that purpose.

It’s Friday, the local equivalent of Sunday and I went for another walk around the local area as it was rather quiet (quiet being a relative term).  After playing chicken with the traffic I reached the local shopping area.  It’s just a row of shops either side of the road.  the first thing I’ve noticed about Saudi Arabia is the very large number of fast food outlets.  the locals seem to be addicted to them.  And there are some very large Saudi’s.  My guess is they have an obesity problem and probably a looming diabetes crisis.  It was ironic that my walk took me past several adjacent sports shops with all the latest gear (Saudi’s love to shop).  They may not exercise and if they can’t hit the ball with that new racquet then it’s not a problem because the next series of shops sell designer spectacles.  That was followed by a series of photocopying shops and translation shops.  Next were travel agents, car rental companies and banks.

Actually I haven’t attempted to try my UK plastic card in an ATM in case it gets swallowed.  I’ll have to find a time when the bank is open so I can reclaim the card if that happens.

It’s not possible for me to open a local bank account because I’m in the country on a Business Visa.  A Work Visa and Iqama (identity card) are required.  As I do not have a bank account it’s not possible for me to cash a local cheque.  My employer has realised this and offered to pay part of my salary in cash and transfer the remainder back to the UK.  One potential problem solved.

It’s obviously possible to live quite cheaply in the country as many of the migrant workers from North Africa, the indian sub-continent and the Philippines are on much less money than me.  

to my surprise the hotel has free and unlimited wireless internet access.  I was anticipating having to pay.  Both internet and phone charges appear to be quite low (probably not if you’re a Pakistani hotel bellboy).