Cheap Adapter Problem

I’ve mentioned in an earlier post that this unit has both 240v and 110v electrical sockets.  There are also three different socket pin outlet types,none of which are compatible with my UK or AS/NZ appliance plugs.  As a result every plug requires and adapter to convert it to UK 3 pin.  The adapters are very cheap and flimsy.  One has already failed and this morning a second failed.  This time the failure left me with a safety hazard.

It’s the 240v socket for the electrical kettle that has the problem.  The photo above is slightly out of focus so the next out of focus photo might give you more of an idea of the hazard.

One of the two metal pins from the adapter has been left protruding out of the power socket.  I don’t know whether it’s the “live” or the neutral pin.  I know what it should be but I don’t trust the wiring.  You can see what has happened in the following photo.

The 70p adapter hasn’t made a good connection in the power socket and has overheated melting the plastic anchor point.  Then the adapter was pulled from the power socket the pin was left behind.

My initial thought was to use the pliers of my “Leatherman” to extract the pin.

However they are not insulated and if the pin is in the “live” socket I’d certainly know about it.  After some thinking I managed to hook a thin length of insulated wire (the iTouch power cord) around the pin and pull it free.  I’m going to stay with the cheap adapters as I can buy a dozen of them for the price of a quality travel adapter.

After all that excitement it was time for the boring stuff cleaning the bathroom and then sweeping and moping the tiled floors.  I’ve also made an attempt at another fish pie. 

Following Jan’s earlier instructions I diced some raw fish placing it on the base.  Mixed vegies and a can of peas were then added before I grated some cheese over the top.  I then beat two eggs which were poured on top.  The mashed potato was then added.  It has been sitting in the over for an hour and has just started to go brown.  Hopefully it will last me for the next four days.  Then it will be a return to the meat patties.

Spoke too soon….

Apparently my visa may not have been renewed when I went through Saudi immigration on the causeway to Bahrain last Wednesday.   

Today the company visa staff looked at the passport and after considerable muttering and animated discussion in Arabic I was informed they didn’t think the visa had been validated. “Why?”  Says me.  It appears that although I have the outwards and inwards stamps there is no date!  Now they never told me to look for a date entry and why the hell didn’t the immigration official enter a date.  Everywhere else I’ve been the data is part of the stamp.  “What’s is the solution?”  Says me.  I’m informed I will have to leave the country and I’m running out of time!  “No!” Says me.  “There must be another solution?”  More animated discussion and then I’m informed I should go to the Riyadh airport and discuss the matter with the immigration department.  I should check if the officials at the border entered my departure into the computer system.  My response will be to explain to them that I’ve only been in the country two months, on a 6 month business visa that has to be renewed every month.  At the end of the first month they extended the visa without me having to leave the country.  They gave me a piece of paper as proof of the extension for the second month.  So the fact that I have two immigration stamps (exit & entry) on the paper proves I left the country in the second month, despite there being no date entry.  It’s a logical and irrefutable argument…….. But will they accept it?

4 hours later……….

Well the journey to the airport didn’t happen.  Instead, the company visa section took my passport and I thought they were going to fix the problem.  Two hours later my passport was returned.  I thought everything was resolved, but in fact the situation got worse.  After a further two hours I was requested to return to the visa section where I was informed I had to leave by the end of the month (ie this coming Wednesday night).  Reluctantly I advised them I would go to Dubai.  But then I was informed they needed my return UK air ticket to bring forward my return to the UK.  I explained the “very cheap” ticket wasn’t adjustable or refundable.  "Why did I need to go to the UK?  Dubai was closer!"  Then they told me I would have to return to the UK and apply for another visa.  Hell, it was hard enough to get the first visa without trying to get a second!

BUT.  There is always more than one solution.  I subsequently had a discussion with my boss’s local representative.  The problem has been escalated.  My sponsor has “influence” (wastah) and knows the right people.  I’m now told I will not have to leave the country!  The matter should be resolved in two days {Inshallah}.  Funny, I'm not stressed by any of this....... ;-)

The Turkey Barber

It has been eight weeks since my last haircut and I was starting to look somewhat scruffy.  Last weekend I checked out the location of the nearest barbers and also spoke with the tea boy establishing a haircut cost him 20 Riyals.  At 5pm yesterday I walked off the compound to the nearest Turkey Barber.  On entering the shop I made the gesture of cutting hair and rubbed finger and thumb together to indicate the cost.  The barber grabbed his calculator an punched in 35.  Thereupon I thanked him in Arabic and went to walk out.  He immediately gestured for me to take a seat but I walked away.

Two hundred metres further on and around the corner was a second Turkey Barber.  He used hand gestures to give me a price of 20 riyals.  Consequentially he got my business and I even gave him a 5 riyal tip on the basis that he would remember me when I next visited.  After the haircut I took a long walk to the Centrepoint Shopping Mall.  There was daylight for the first half of the outwards journey and I happened to notice someone had gone to the effort of marking the exposed shallow trench running part way across the road outside the compound.  Ghaleb hit it with the car when we returned to the compound earlier in the day.

Not much of a marker and I wonder how long it will last?  But at least someone recognised the hazard and attempted to do something about it!

My plan was to walk 5km along the ‘main drag’ just to see what shops lined the route.  I also wanted to get a closer look at the reason for the roadworks.  The centre four lanes have been excavated.  It looks like they are constructing a large concrete ‘box’ culvert.  My guess is it is either a sewer or stormwater drain.  Probably the former.

Quarter of the way into the walk I noticed the maintenance area of a garage.  It was filthy and full of rubbish.  Would you be happy to have them service your car?

Having seen the locomotive maintenance facility earlier in the week, the condition of the garage didn’t particularly surprise me!

It was dark by the time I reached the major grade interchange on the junction where the mall is located.  This is also the location of that large mosque I previously mentioned.  This time I was able to get a better photo.

The next photo shows the 14 lanes of traffic I needed to negotiate to reach the shopping mall.

Upon reaching the first mall I discovered it was mostly full of the types of items you would expect to find in a ‘flea market’.  The adjacent mall (Centrepoint) was considerably larger and more “up market”.  However it again had little of interest. How many handbags do I need and would that gown with the sequins look already on me?   Jewellery isn’t my thing and I don't need designer spectacles or a new watch.  However I did find a shop at the far end worth exploring.  It was ‘Radio Shack’ and in one corner they had a set of wireless TV headphones in tired wrapping and covered in dust.  Upon asking I was informed the price was 300 riyals.  That’s less than a third of the price ‘Extra’ wanted for their headphones when I asked last weekend.  So I now have a pair of headphones which enables me to hear the TV.

On the way back to the compound I intended to stop at the Scottish restaurant, however just as I reached it the minarets all started wailing and the shops closed.  Another plan gone to hell!  When I first saw a ‘Wooden Bakery’ I though it was a “one off”.  However I passed a second outlet last night so it must be a franchise.  It was closed for prayers (of course) so a visit will have to wait for another day!

Back to work tomorrow.

Back to Riyadh

After completing the visa renewal it was time to head back to Riyadh.  I was convinced Ghaleb didn’t know the way and made the decision to follow “Felicity’s” instructions.  Actually I’m not convinced Ghaleb knows his way around Riyadh which tended to be confirmed by his passive acceptance of Felicity’s directions.  Well, in reality Felicity told me and I translate them into Arabic for Ghaleb.

We had travelled from Riyadh to Dammam on Highway 40 and so I was slightly surprised that the countryside at the beginning of the journey looked different.  I have a second set of maps on my photo which I took a quick look at.  My suspicions were confirmed and I realised Felicity was using a different route back to Riyadh.  I’ll explain on the following screen dump.

Riyadh is in the bottom left and Dammam in the top right.  We travelled from Riyadh to Dammam on Highway 40, which is the top straight line.  For the return journey Felicity took us SW towards Hofuf (right arrow) and then west to join Highway 40 about 60km short of Riyadh (left arrow).

Without telling Ghaleb, I made the decision to let Felicity calculate the route.  It would also be an opportunity to see a different part of Saudi Arabia.  Highway 10 was very similar to Highway 40 with three lanes in each direction.  The volume of traffic was also about the same.  Ghaleb is actually a good driver and unlike the average Saudi driver he stays within the speed limit.  Perhaps it is because he can’t afford the $300 speeding tickets.  Anyway, we cruised along on the 120kmh speed limit overtaking the slower trucks.  On a couple of occasions we were in the third lane overtaking two trucks passing each other when our car would be blasted and rocked by a Saudi rocketing past us on the verge doing in excess of 180kmh.

At the beginning of the journey the terrain was mostly sand dunes.

This gets somewhat boring.  However around Hofuf we passed through a more interesting area which reminded me slightly of Wadi Rum in southern Jordan.

We then passed through a vast flat plateau which appeared to be an oilfield as the were numerous pipelines snaking across the ground in all directions.  A couple of oil drilling rigs then appeared which leads me to believe they are still drilling of oil in this area.

The whole area appeared to be desolate except there were camels and nomads wandering around.

The only sign of “civilization” was a very small village which we passed midway through the journey. 

These places always look run down and “scruffy”

A little further on we passed the location of the first of two recent fatalities.  Both accidents were on long straight roads and both vehicles appeared to have been struck from behind.  The police had arrived at the scene and appeared to be collecting evidence.  The bodies lay beside the road covered with a blanket with the debris of the accident scattered around them and across the road.  I assume the police were waiting on the ‘expat’ Bangladeshi road cleaners to arrive and do the cleaning up.  The accident appeared to have no effect on the locals who continued to wizz past us at high speed.

One other thing I observed on the trip were the large number of tracked excavators working in series beside the road.  Each appeared to be digging a section of a narrow continuous trench.  There are four in the photo below.

I must have counted approximated 50 of them working beside the road and can only assume they were digging a trench for a new data cable.  Electrical distribution is by pylon so it can’t be for power.  However it did appear to be an very inefficient way of digging a trench between major centres.  I would have though a trenching machine would have been a more efficient option.  But then if you consider the situation from a local perspective it makes some sense.  Labour and fuel are cheap and they have difficulty maintaining equipment.  Better to have one or two excavators inoperative than your only large trenching machine!

Off to Bahrain

One of the secondary reasons for visiting Dammam was to renew my business visa. Saudi Arabia is connected to Bahrain by the King Fahd Causeway. It is a 25km long dual carriageway road with a man-made island in the middle where both the Saudi’s and Bahraini’s have their respective customs and immigration stations. My plan was to have Ghaleb drive me across the causeway to Bahrain and immediately return thereby fulfilling the visa renewal requirements. Unfortunately it didn’t quite work out that way.

There is a toll to use the causeway and I hadn’t realised this until Ghaleb missed the entrance ramp. I was able to see the toll booths as we passed them on a slip road. Fortunately I noticed another entrance ramp further ahead and was able to direct Ghaleb onto it. The toll fee was SAR$20. (approximately £1.50)

The causeway has one high concrete arch bridge on the Saudi side which allows shipping to pass between the island nation of Bahrain and the coast of Saudi Arabia. You can see it in the distance in the photo below.

As you approached the artificial island you realise it is rather large. The Saudi side has a park, mosque and various fast food outlets.

Time being critical, we didn’t stop but immediately joined the long queues of vehicle in front of the customs booths. Ghaleb joined all the other Saudi drivers in the usual local habit of ‘lane hopping’ in an effort to move faster. Eventually we arrived at the booth where the customs office ask for something in Arabic. Ghaleb, rummaged through the papers in the glove box before handing over an A4 size document with the Al Mobty letterhead. A further exchange of Arabic resulted in the boom being raised and we were through. I thought we were going to head to the Immigration booths beyond but Ghaleb fought his way across the queues of traffic to a small alley. My optimism dropped when I noticed the sign by the alley stated in English “Rejected Vehicles”. The alley took us to the Saudi inwards customs checkpoint where Ghaleb attempted to converse with one of the customs officials. I also tried to find out what had happened but was immediately put in my place with the comment “No English”. The result of this was within an hour of arriving at the border we found ourselves facing back towards Saudi Arabia and no visa renewal.

Not wanting to give up, I decided to see if I could get my passport visa renewed without having to cross into Bahrain. Walking back to the customs office I found all the officials gossiping (as they do) in one office. They directed me to the immigration office further towards Bahrain. No one attempted to stop me, so I walked through the customs area to the immigration office. There I found a number of people milling around waiting for service from the immigration officials who were spending much of their time attempting to look official and busy (as they do) but actually doing nothing. This office was partitioned by a glass wall and I could see people on the other side attempting to enter Saudi Arabia. Eventually one official asked me what I wanted and I explained I needed to renew my visa by having the passport stamped with an exit and entry stamp. “Wait!”

After some time an Indian businessman who was in the queue behind me asked me what I was attempting to do. Apparently he had the same issue with his car. However he had an advantage as he spoke Arabic. This was an acquaintance I needed to keep! Eventually the Saudi immigration officer told me I couldn’t get my passport stamped and I would need to take a taxi to Bahrain and return. It all seemed damned stupid to me. My passport had been passed between the exit and entry side of the office and they could have stamped it. But it’s their country! My new found indian friend then suggested we share a taxi. Sounded good to me and as he spoke the language I followed him. We went back to the park at the Saudi entrance to the island and started looking for a taxi. My indian friend got into a heated discussion with a Saudi and I could see they were negotiating. Obviously the price wasn’t right because my new friend went searching for another taxi. The first driver followed him attempting to stop any other driver from offering a lower price. Eventually a police car came by and the officer called out the window. I thought we were being given a rocket but the indian waved and headed towards the car rental offices. The end result was he negotiated a rental car and driver for SAR$200 ($100 each, about £14). He then explained to me that the first taxi driver wanted SAR$350 each.  Well I suppose if you can get a gullible tourist why not rip him off.

Our driver joined the queue at the customs point and did the usual ‘lane hopping’. The customs office barely looked at the car (it’s probably so familiar) and we were through to the immigration queue. Our passports were passed out the driver’s window to the official and he stamped them without even being able to see us in the back of the car! Instead of heading to the Bahraini immigration station the driver did a hard left turn ducking down a narrow alleyway to arrive at the Saudi inbound immigration queue. Our passports were again stamped without the officer looking at us. Then we drove on further to the customs station where, after a brief inspection, we were waved through. So for an additional SAR$100 and an extra 45 minutes I now have a renewed visa.

Two things stick in my mind from this incident.

1. It would have been much simpler if the Saudi officials had just stamped my passport in the office. They didn’t and I was forced to hire the rental car. The fact that there is a rental agency there with drivers suggests this isn’t an infrequent occurrence. Someone is making money!

2. It appeared to be remarkable easy to walk past all the customs and immigration stations. I suspect this is due to 100% of users travelling by vehicle and the lethargic attitude of the officials. I also suspect if one wore the ‘right’ clothing (eg, road sweeper) with safety vest it would be possible to walk from one end of the island to the other.

As Ghaleb drove me back across the causeway towards Dammam it was possible to see the number of major contruction project that have ground to a halt through lack of labour. This major marina complex at the Saudi end of the causeway stands empty.

The marina foreshore with the skeleton of the complex behind

Half built and now standing idle waiting for a workforce to complete it!

Out of Riyadh

I had a meeting to attend in Dammam and after seeking advice it was suggested to me the best mode of travel was by road utilizing my car and driver.  So Ghaleb collected me from the villa in the morning and we set off for Dammam.  Now Dammam is in the east so I was rather relieved when Ghaleb pointed the car towards the rising sun.  However that didn’t last very long as he quickly did a ‘U’ turn and had us going West.  Then he decided to go north before again heading East.  But then he turned south and after stopping for instructions, decided to again go West.  Obviously my sense of direction is better than his, or maybe my geography is better!  Anyway I decided to involve “Felicity” and see if he would take instructions from a lady.  Now “Felicity” is the name we have given the female gps voice.  She is very patient but I’ve discovered she cannot pronounce Arabic street names.  Consequentially Ghaleb didn’t understand what she was saying.  However it is possible he wasn’t prepared to take instructions from a female? Nevertheless, between Felicity and myself we managed to get the car pointing in approximately the right direction.

Felicity hadn’t started when the above photo was taken.  I just wanted to point out the road works down the centre of the road.  The Saudi’s are removing the major intersections by creating a grade interchange.  They are moving the centre six lanes below ground level and building bridges across these sunken lanes.  This allows the traffic to keep flowing.

The reason why I have included the above photo is because there’s a damned great mosque to the left of the furthest left streetlight pole.  You can see the two large and two small minarets and part of the dome.  It appears there is a mosque in every block. 

The Saudi’s are very much into shopping (what else is there to do?) and whilst there are thousands of small shops they have also started to build vast shopping malls.  The one on the left in the photo below is Centrepoint. I’m going to visit one of the larger malls just to see what’s inside.

Of course you can’t have malls unless you are demolishing the existing buildings and there are certainly plenty of signs of demolitions.

As you get towards the outskirts of Riyadh the freeway (motorway) becomes elevated and it is possible to look down upon the suburbs.

Most of the buildings have what looks to be a small shed on the roof.  It’s actually a cover over the water tank.

There is a slight rise in altitude leaving Riyadh where the road to Dammam passes over a small series of rolling hills and up onto a desert plateau.

On either side of the road there are the tents of nomads who appear to be happy eking out an existence from the desert.

As nomads they are obviously not raising crops.  Rather they tend to their livestock which is mostly camels, although I did see goats and some sheep.  Frankly there didn’t appear to be much fodder for sheep.  The camels and goats appeared to be surviving on the small amount of dried shrubs.

I’ve included the above photo of two reasons.  Firstly to show you the earthen berm that some nomads have constructed around their tents.  I assume this reduces the wind factor and also assists in the control of their livestock.  The other reason is to point out the rubbish.  Almost every item purchased comes with a plastic bag and they aren’t recycled.  Instead millions of them are discarded and are blown by the wind where they snag on the fence lines.  The road to Dammam has a fence line on either side.  One assumes it is to keep the camels separated from the vehicles.

We had travelled less than 100kms when Ghaleb needed to stop and fill the tank.  Yes, we had left Ruyadh with almost an empty tank!  Fortunately there are regular road houses (Motos) along the highway.

I don’t know which interior decorator designed the colour scheme but it sure stands out!  Now you don’t fill your own vehicle.  Pump attendants do that.  They look very much like low paid expats from Africa.  So Ghaleb filled the tank (3 pounds & fifty pence).  Told you petrol was cheaper than water!  Like all good Moto’s this one had a Saudi version of the ‘Travelodge’ for travellers who wanted to rest.

I know…. the colours scream at me too!.  You may not be able to see it but the sign above the door includes the letters V.I.P.   I was too scared to ask what they meant!

So five hours later we arrived in Dammam.  I had booked a room in the Novotel and will leave you with a photo of the Novotel entrance sign in Arabic.  Tomorrow I’m heading to Bahrain to renew my visa.

Fish Pie

The sight of kerbabs is starting to have an effect on my appetite so after taking the free bus to the large Tammini Supermarket I started searching for a change in diet.  No more chicken nuggets and the beef patties can wait for another day.  In the end I selected a large bag of frozen white fish fillets.  With a degree of optimism (or more likely wishful thinking) that they had already been de-boned, I took them back to the villa.  My plan was to make a fish pie using the frozen mashed potatoes in the freezer and a can of peas.  I also boiled two eggs and sliced some of the Hungarian cheese that had been going cheap.  Apparently I wasn’t supposed to pre-cook the fish but only discovered that afterwards.  After defrosting and dicing the fish I cooked it in the frying pan with some oil and then added all the ingredients to a casserole dish placing everything in the oven for 40 minutes.

Before the oven

Most of it turned out OK, although the Hungarian cheese was a disappointment turning into the equivalent of a bicycle inner tube!  I was going to leave the “left-overs” in the fridge for dinner over the next four nights but Jan told me I’d poison myself.  They need to go into the freezer.  Consequentially I cut the pie into meal size portions and wrapped them in cling foil before they went into the freezer.

For dessert I made a trifle.  My second attempt with the first two weeks ago being a failure!  This time the base was made from four slices of vanilla cake covered with some tinned fruit.  A jelly mix was poured over the top and I left it to set in the fridge.

Thirty minutes later it was time to make the custard.  I did the same as last time and followed the instructions on the container.  The damned stuff wouldn’t thicken and eventually I poured it down the sink.  My next attempt involved tripling all the ingredients except for the milk.  This time I almost had solid concrete by the time I reached the transfer from the mixing bowl to the trifle.

But in the end it turned out rather well!

Tomorrow it’s back to work.  It will be a slightly different week as I’m being driven to Dammam for series of meetings.  It will be interesting to get away from Riyadh for a few days.

A Walk

At 5.00pm yesterday I decided to take the gps and go for an 8km walk to the ‘Extra’ electrical appliance shop where their website stated they had Philps wireless headphones available at SAR$365.  Because of the latitude dusk occurs rather quickly and shortly after departing I found myself walking in the dark.  Of course, where there are footpaths they can’t be used because of the junk and other hazards.  Besides where would the locals park their cars.  It was Friday evening (the local equivalent of Sunday) and all the shops usually open between 4-12pm.
After 2 hours of dicing with traffic death I could finally see the ‘Extra’ shop.

The only problem was it was on the opposite side of a 10 lane highway with a concrete median strip.  Reaching the shop involved a one kilometre detour where I was able to cross the traffic in four ‘bite size’ pieces.  On reaching the door I was stopped by a man holding up his hand an making the prayer motion.  Bloody timing…. got that wrong!  There were still 5 minutes until prayer time but he wasn’t letting anyone in to wait out prayers browsing the goods.  Oh well, it only takes 10 minutes to say prayers, so I went for a wander around the retail park 
The Swede’s had obviously arrived before me.

After waiting 20 minutes the shop still hadn’t opened and I was starting to want to rest my feet.  The locals don’t seem to be all that “into” providing public seating but for resourceful people who are prepared to go snooping usually find an option.

I just had to bang the base a few times to clear the dust.  After 50 minutes the staff returned and the shop opened.  By then there was a large crowd of locals outside the front door, so either the shop staff were having an extended prayer break (my preferred option) or those waiting outside are bad muslims!
Well, surprise…surprise!  The shop didn’t have the advertised Philips headphones for SAR$365.  Instead I was offered a set of bluetooth headphones for SAR$999.  I’m not paying a thousand Riyals for headphones, so I turned around and started retracing my steps back to the villa.
Hunger pains set in along the way and I was almost tempted to buy a burger from the following shop………. until I read the sign for a second time.

Do I risk camel or goat burger?  Perhaps another day!
I also discovered why all the local turkeys are bald.  There are two local turkey barbers to make sure they go around naked.  The lighting for the first “Turkey Barber” sign was off but the second around the corner was open.

Oh, I’m looking for a headset to use with the TV.  My hearing is now so bad I can’t hear the sound, even when it’s on maximum.  Of course the TV is on the far side of a large room, which doesn’t help matters.  No doubt I’ll find something at the price I’m prepared to pay.

Cost of Living

As I'm not the one who pays at the checkout counter I've no real idea of the cost of living in NZ, Oz or the UK.   However since being in Riyadh I've had to assume the responsibility for paying.  Today I made a brief foray to the local supermarket to do a minor restock of the pantry and fridge.  The description of my purchases on the itemized receipt was in Arabic, but I was able to work out the prices for the items based on the numbers and quantity which I can read.  What I now need to identify is whether the prices compare favourably or is the cost of living higher here?.

Item                                 Saudi Riyals           UK £
Bottled water 650ml          1.00                       0.16
Eggs Qty 18                       9.00                       1.48
Fruit yoghurt pots sml      12.00                       1.97
Beef Pattie (qty 24)          35.00                      5.74
Plain Flour (1kg)               4.00                        0.66
Total                                $61.00                   £10.00

Meanwhile I've just made a visit to the office throne room and although I'm the only person on this floor of a new building, I can immediately see I am not going to be the first to use the throne.  Whilst that doesn't worry me, I do wish they would remain seated throughout the performance rather than standing on the seat.  Or even lift the seat to attend to their business.  There isn't much worse than finding bloody great dirty workers footprints all over the seat!  Moreover, I don't think the dam-busters could have spread as much water around.....